Dozens Injured in Bologna as Police Restraint Death Sparks Rioting, George Floyd Comparisons
Protests in Bologna, Italy, turned violent after a 42-year-old Moroccan-Italian man died while being restrained by police, leaving dozens injured and prompting a government investigation.
Thousands marched through Bologna on Monday demanding justice for Abderrahim Fakir, a business owner who died Sunday after officers sat on him during a restraint [201189][201321][201519]. Video shows Fakir repeatedly screaming “aiuto, aiuto, basta” (help, help, enough) as two officers sat on him while paramedics watched; officers later tied his ankles after he stopped moving [201321]. The death has drawn direct comparisons to the murder of George Floyd in the United States [201179][201321].
Prosecutors have opened an investigation and requested body camera footage from the officers involved [201321]. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has ordered a full probe into the death while condemning the violent clashes that left dozens of police officers injured [201191]. Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi defended the police, stating that “those who insult the police show no trust in our law enforcement” [201321].
Fakir, who lived in Italy since age five, had heart problems and asthma [201321]. His sister Khadija said, “The police must protect us. If someone is agitated, you calm him down… not kill him like a dog” [201321]. Senator Ilaria Cucchi, whose brother died in custody, called the police actions “inhumane” and accused Meloni’s government of fostering violence through “policies full of hate and racism” [201321]. Human rights groups and opposition parties are demanding answers as authorities have not yet released the official cause of death [201189][201519].